Tag Archives: adventure

Secret Lady is based on events that occurred to my ancestors and my husband’s Mennonite forebears during the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Historical accounts from the Civil War are a huge part of the inspiration behind Secret Lady. I grew up hearing about the war and its enormous impact on the family, and knew it would inevitably become the focus of a story or two. But the initial challenge to write this story didn’t come from the war.

My eldest daughter, Alison, told me of the uncanny connection she and her friend, Cristin, have with the creepy closet in our house. It is, in fact, the only closet. Old homes were built without them, and it’s a slightly more modern addition. Throughout her childhood, Alison was terrified of this walk-in, but duck your head space, particularly unfortunate as it occupied the far-right corner of her bedroom. The extra creepy factor is the entry to hidden parts of the house lies at the back corner of the closet. Alison learned that Cristin, as a child, had recurring dreams (nightmares) about a closet in an old boxy white farmhouse that strongly resembled ours. In her dreams, Cristin ventured up the stairs, traveled to the end of the hall, and entered the last bedroom. She feared a black antique trunk (check—we have one from my great-grandfather) in the closet at the far right of the room where a disturbing presence dwelled. It wasn’t a huge leap to conceive a heroine with similar fears.

Story Blurb:
At Lavender House, Evie McIntyre is haunted by the whispers from her bedroom closet. Before she can make sense of their murmurs, the house “warbles” between times and transports her to the Civil War. Past and present have blended, and Evie wishes she’d paid more attention to history. Especially since former Confederate officer, Jack Ramsey, could use a heads up.

Torn between opposing forces, Jack struggles to defend the valley and people he loves. Meeting Evie turns his already tumultuous world upside down. Will solving the mystery of the whispers return her home, and will the handsome scout be by her side?

Against the background of Sheridan’s Burning of the Shenandoah Valley, Jack and Evie fight to save their friends and themselves – or is history carved in stone?

Excerpt:

She took a steadying breath, turned the brass knob, and stepped into the room. The fragrance of lavender greeted her. Grandma G. had tucked sachets under her mattress to help her sleep and left small cloth bags in the drawers of an antique dresser. A sachet of apricot scented agrimony lay beneath her pillow.

This age-old herb was thought to induce slumber and offer protection against the dark forces. Other powerful herbs scented the room. Angelica, St. John’s Wort, and sage were in the bunch on the bedside stand beside the antique brass lamp with an ornamental white shade.

The walk-in, but duck your head, closet at the far side of the room summoned her. Boxes of Christmas decorations, a Santa, and reindeer figures stored inside the slanted nook partially hid the steps leading to the attic and the presence she swore was there. She hadn’t encountered the being in question. Yet. It wasn’t cool for a nineteen-year-old to harbor terrors of a closet, but she did.

She threw her hands up after a particularly loud summons. “What do you want from me?”

There was a rap on the downstairs door. ~

Secret Lady is available in print and eBook from The Wild Rose Press and eBook from all major online booksellers.

Journey back to the intrigue of the American Revolution, where spies can be anyone and trust may prove deadly. This gripping era comes to life in the rich tones of the audio book narrated by Lisa Valdini. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story unfold and I already know what happens. If you like mystery, history, adventure, and romance, Traitor’s Legacy is for you.

Traitor’s Legacy Blurb:
1781. On opposite sides of the War of Independence, British Captain Jacob Vaughan and Claire Monroe find themselves thrust together by chance and expediency.

Captain Vaughan comes to a stately North Carolina manor to catch a spy. Instead, he finds himself in bedlam: the head of the household is an old man ravaged by madness, the one sane male of the family is the very man he is hunting, and the household is overseen by his beguiling sister Claire.

Torn between duty, love, and allegiances, yearning desperately for peace, will Captain Vaughan and Claire Monroe forge a peace of their own against the vagaries of war and the betrayal of false friends?

Traitor’s Legacy is available in audio at Audible and Amazon. Also available in kindle and print at Amazon, and in eBook from all online booksellers.

It’s just one week before Christmas, but Avery Dunham cannot change Ignus Burke’s mind. They absolutely must travel back in time and rescue the White Lady in the painting in his living room.~

In the ghostly White Lady lore I’ve read, the tales don’t usually portray her as vindictive—usually. And that’s the catch with my ghostly, magical, adventure through time. Oh yes, and there’s romance.~

Blurbfrom The White Lady:

Avery Dunham has always been ready to follow her friend, time-traveling wizard, Ignus Burke, on incredible adventures. This time, though, she has serious misgivings. It’s just one week before Christmas, but she cannot get him to change his mind. The usually cool and collected magic-wielding leader is wholly obsessed by the portrait of the White Lady whom he is bent on rescuing.

Almost as soon as they begin their journey, it becomes clear their mission is a trap.

Avery was right: this adventure is not going to be like any other.~

Excerpt:

Avery had a few queries on the tip of her tongue, like, “Are you out of your freaking skull?”

If she didn’t ask, Stan probably would. They’d graduated from high school this past June and worked part-time ‘nothing’ jobs, taking a break before college while finding their way, as Avery’s mother put it. Mostly, they were drawn to Ignus like moths to a flame, especially Avery. Not that he noticed.

If only he’d look at her the way he did the white lady. More and more, the portrait seemed to dominate his thoughts. How could a petite, okay short, girl in a sparkly pink sweater and unicorn leggings compete with this tantalizing beauty?

Avery wasn’t plain, some even referred to her as cute, but exotic didn’t describe her. Quirky, sure. She wouldn’t term her brown eyes deeply affecting, and her face wouldn’t compel men through centuries to her side. The best she could do was plead with him.

“Ignus, be reasonable. Please.”

No reply. He wore his stubborn look. Crossing his arms over a lean chest, he tilted his head to better view the femme fatale on the wall above them.

The tousled brown hair covering his ears and forehead needed a trim. In his red Zombie Preparedness hoodie with a white rescue logo, gray dress pants, and white high-topped sneakers, he was the quintessential nerd. Most importantly, he was a wizard and time traveler with a passion for rescuing lost souls. His fervor for this particular lady was alarming.~

Normally 3.99, The Hunter’s Moon (Book #1 The Secret Warrior Series) is .99 through 10-07. Book #3 The Panther Moon, came out 9-30, so it’s a good time to snap up the first in the series.

Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Morgan Daniel has been in the witness protection program most of her life. But The Panteras have caught up with her and her younger brother. Her car is totaled, she’s hurt, and the street gang is closing in when wolves with glowing eyes appear out of nowhere and chase away the killers.

Then a very cute guy who handles a bow like Robin Hood emerges from the woods and takes them to safety at his fortress-like home.

And that’s just the first sign that Morgan and her brother have entered a hidden world filled with secrets…

I’m not a one genre author, possibly because I’m too ADD to stick with a single category or era. No, seriously. I’m multi-published in historical, ghostly, paranormal, time travel romance, and some nonfiction. YA (Young Adult) is my latest venture. I love writing this genre.

Daughter Elise and several nieces encouraged me to take the YA plunge, so thank or blame them. 🙂

The Secret Warrior is a YA fantasy/paranormal (with romance) series set present-day in our Virginia Mountains. Native American and mountain people lore, my love of herbs, colonial America, and my wild imagination are part of the inspiration behind the series. Shawnee warrior/wolf shifters, witches, a warlock, the Star People, and other characters, shifters, and creatures run through the stories. And there’s the prophecy…

The lizard shifting witch is drawn from mountain people lore about an old woman who basks in the moonlight as a large lizard. They call her the Lizard Lady. In the story, her name is Lilith Dubois, and she lives in a ramshackle old house back in the hollow in the mountains. Not only is she a lizard shifter in the moonlight, she’s a witch with memorizing eyes. If you gaze into their green depths, she can put a spell on you that only she can break. This sort of enchantress is called a gorgon. Bad things happen if you look into their eyes. Tough not to do.

(Old mountain home that inspired her house in the story. Image by hubby.)

One of the most unusual creatures I’ve brought to life is the thunderbird, a mythological bird based on Native American lore. There are people, of course, who insist the bird is real. Check out YouTube, or MonsterQuest. Since I couldn’t conclusively prove its existence, I took characteristics from Native American lore and added a few of my own, like it hunts only at dusk and during storms. The legendary bird gets its name from the belief that the beating of its great wings account for the booms of thunder, and its flashing red eyes are the lighting. Pretty darn awesome. Likely, the thunderbird derives from NA respect for the bald eagle and is a greatly exaggerated version. I featured a big territorial male in book 1, The Hunter’s Moon. The bird comes up again in Curse of the Moon in the form of an incubating egg.

What could be better than hatching and training a thunderbird yourself? It’s the Native American dragon. Thunderbirds are said to be intelligent, powerful, and wrathful, so you definitely want one on your side. In Curse of the Moon, Morgan’s younger brother, Jimmy, plans to train and fly a thunderbird. He’s a fearless kid.

Blurb for Curse of the Moon (Book 2, The Secret Warrior Series):

The bad news? Morgan Daniel’s wolf is out of control. The good news? There’s a treatment. She just has to get a potion from a lizard shifter witch–without looking into the witch’s eyes. Easy, right? But when the witch puts a spell on her younger brother, Morgan has to do the witch’s bidding to save him.

Fortunately Morgan isn’t alone. She has Jackson to lean on, a few witches coming into their powers, a secret warlock, and the always mysterious Chief Okema. What could possibly go wrong?~

Normally 3.99, The Hunter’s Moon (Book #1 The Secret Warrior Series) is .99 from May 6th–May 20th. Book #2, Curse of the Moon, came out on the 4th, so it’s good time to snap up the first in the series.

Seventeen-year-old Morgan Daniel has been in the witness protection program most of her life. But The Panteras have caught up with her and her younger brother. Her car is totaled, she’s hurt, and the street gang is closing in when wolves with glowing eyes appear out of nowhere and chase away the killers.

Then a very cute guy who handles a bow like Robin Hood emerges from the woods and takes them to safety at his fortress-like home.

And that’s just the first sign that Morgan and her brother have entered a hidden world filled with secrets…

Curse of the Moon (Book 2, the Secret Warrior Series) is a YA fantasy/paranormal (with romance) adventure set present-day in our Virginia Mountains. Those hazy ridges hide a lot of secrets…

Story Blurb:

The bad news? Morgan Daniel’s wolf is out of control. The good news? There’s a treatment. She just has to get a potion from a lizard shifter witch–without looking into the witch’s eyes. Easy, right? But when the witch puts a spell on her younger brother, Morgan has to do the witch’s bidding to save him.

Fortunately Morgan isn’t alone. She has Jackson to lean on, a few witches coming into their powers, a secret warlock, and the always mysterious Chief Okema. What could possibly go wrong?

CIVIL WAR TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE SECRET LADY WON BOOK OF THE MONTH!

‘A great read filled with romance and dash of suspense. Fans of time-travel romance won’t want to miss this novel!’

LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS LINK

Inspired by Events that Occurred to My Ancestors in the Colonial Frontier

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GHOSTLY HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVEL

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HISTORICAL/PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL

KIRA, DAUGHTER OF THE MOON--SEQUEL TO THROUGH THE FIRE

KIRA, DAUGHTER OF THE MOON WON BOOK OF THE MONTH!

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RED BIRD’S SONG

CLICK FOR REVIEW

NA HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVEL THROUGH THE FIRE

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SHORT STORY–.99 IN KINDLE

SHORT NA HISTORICAL ROMANCE

HISTORICAL/PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL

KINDLE LINK

HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVEL THROUGH THE FIRE

“A catless writer is almost inconceivable,”~ Barbara Holland

I HAVE THREE PLUS

“I know I was writing stories when I was five. I don’t know what I did before that. Just loafed, I suppose.” P.G. Wodehouse

NA HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVEL THROUGH THE FIRE

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GHOSTLY ROMANCE NOVEL SOMEWHERE MY LOVE

A NIGHT OWL TOP PICK!

The Dove of the Holy Spirit

The dove represents the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, also peace

LOGAN FROM HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVEL KIRA DAUGHTER OF THE MOON

IN PRINT & KINDLE

BROTHER WOLF

NATIVE AMERICAN IMAGES & SAYINGS

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NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ROMANCE RED BIRD’S SONG

AT SERIOUSLY REVIEWED

High 5 from the Pen & Muse for Historical Romance Into the Lion’s Heart!

"Trissel writes with such a passion in Lion’s Heart that you feel you are with the characters"

White Elk

"When you were born, you cried
and the world rejoiced.
Live your life
so that when you die,
the world cries and you rejoice."

Autumn trees in the Alleghenies

Image by my mother, Pat Churchman

They don’t make movies like this anymore. Sigh.

Hawkeye

“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.” Wesley, The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride

FOR SOMEWHERE MY LOVE

‘As I read Somewhere My Love, I recalled the feelings I experienced the first time I read Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca long ago. Using deliciously eerie elements similar to that gothic romance, Beth Tressel has captured the haunting dangers, thrilling suspense and innocent passions that evoke the same tingly anticipation and heartfelt romance I so enjoyed then, and still do now.’ ~by Joysann for Publishers Weekly at Beyond Her Book (blog feature now removed)